Banners Fun

His real name is Michael Joseph Nelson, but he’d rather we call him Banners—and if you’re going write out his name, it should be in all caps. And this is reasonably new. Early in 2015, he was still going by the name RAINES (again in all caps.)

He’s originally from Liverpool where he was part of a famous church choir that toured all over Europe. Somewhere along the line, he made a connection with Stephen Kozmeniuk, a producer originally from Whitehorse in the Yukon to help him establish a solo career.

Banners was a fan of the guy’s work with Madonna, The Game and Nicki Minaj. The two hit it off and Koz—that’s what everyone calls him—produced both the “Shine a Light” single and the debut Banners EP.